Recruiting Operations: Shared Queue Model for Recruiting Coordination

This article is the companion piece to Ashby's Recruiting Operations Community Discussion on Wednesday, January 25th, which Ashley Wines and I led. Here is a link to the Google Presentation version (though this article has expanded on certain items).

When it comes to organizing interview scheduling support, companies usually go about it in one of three ways:

1. Assign the Recruiting Coordinator (RC) to a specific recruiter or set of recruiters
2. Assign the RC to support a specific business vertical
3. RCs are not specialized and instead work together to support the whole business

This article aims to discuss #3, which is often known as a Shared Queue Model (SQM).? We’ll dive into the fundamentals, benefits, considerations, and tools you can use to build and roll one out to your teams (along with their pros and cons).

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Fundamentals of a Shared Queue

For your Shared Queue to be successful, you will need to make sure of the following:

• Centralized interview requests - Have all your interview requests go to one place you can easily track.? Having a centralized queue/ticketing system will improve data collection and RC team load balancing.
• Ease to Use/Understand - Ensure a smooth transition from a 1:1 support model by making the system user-friendly for all team members.
• Uniformed training and delivery of services for RC - Switching to a Shared Queue Model means you have to ensure every RC is trained and executes in the same way.? Because many RCs are brand new to the professional world, they can pick up habits that might work for some but not all.? Additionally, you need to make sure you keep excellent documentation that is easy to locate, especially if there are nuances for a particular team.
• Clear rules of engagement (ROE) and SLAs - Avoid confusion by clearly defining responsibilities and expectations for Recruiters and RCs.

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Prepping for a Shared Queue

• Buy In from TA Leader, Recruiters, and Recruiting Coordinators - Each group listed is going to have role specific concerns that will need to be addressed.? TA Leaders might worry about a quality drop off.? Recruiters might worry about who they should go to with questions.? RCs might be hesitant because they can feel like something is being taken from them.? For each group it is important to listen, hear their concerns, and provide examples of how it can be a benefit in the long run (which hopefully this article will provide you with some ??)
• Permission Levels - To pivot to this model, you likely will need to change permission levels to grant the right level of access the RCs will need to accomplish their task.
• Change Management and Alignment - These go hand in hand because you will need to make sure your documentation is ready to go if anyone has any questions and that people understand their marching orders.

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Benefits of a Shared Queue

• Reportable Data - This is likely the most significant benefit.? Because all your data is centralized, a TA/Recruiting Operations Manager can easily query it in order to notice trends, load balance, or understand specific points (e.g. reschedule rates) that might not be possible through your ATS.? Furthermore, the data can be used to validate the team size necessary to support business objectives.
• Broader Exposure - Because your RCs are now supporting multiple teams, they will get the opportunity to learn about different business units, roles, and network.? In the long run, this generalist knowledge will help them grow in their career journey.
• Load Balancing - A drawback to the support models that focus on specific recruiters or verticals is that certain groups might be more actively recruiting than others.? This means your RCs for that group will be overloaded.? A SQM prevents this because every RC can pivot to help.
• Potential growth opportunities in leadership and technical knowledge - By having a centralized queue, you can also designate a more senior RC to act as an air traffic controller who ensures every RC handles enough requests.? If you are going to be building your Shared Queue, this is an opportunity to teach an RC how to properly scope, build, and roll out the method you are choosing to use.

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Considerations of a Shared Queue

• It isn’t for everyone - Not all teams will be able to adapt to this style.? Some teams just might not want to.? Both are ok reasons.? This author, though, will always advocate for having a centralized collection method for all interview requests since it helps RC teams stay organized and cover one another in the event of sudden absences (e.g. leaves) or losses (layoffs).
• Initial Turblenace - The initial rollout might not be as smooth because old habits die hard.? People will want to default to what they know, so gentle reminders are always best.
• Shifting Economic Conditions - When the market and business are good, or you are at a business doing well, the SQM might not be necessary (though, again, having a centralized ticketing system is always recommended).

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Ways to Build Your Shared Queue

Spreadsheet

Complexity to Set Up/Teach: Low

Complexity to Use: Low

Cost: 0

Pros:

• Straightforward and quick to make
• Easy to report on the data
• Economical - No net-new costs because you likely have a cloud-based spreadsheet solution
• Source for archival data - You get to keep all your data in a tool that is likely not being replaced if you need to cut costs
• Highly customizable
• Easy storage of interview and hiring manager preferences

Cons:

• UX/UI is lacking
• Very manual
• High potential for user error if people are transferring information cell by cell
• No integrations

Tools: Google Sheets, Excel

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Spreadsheet + Form

Complexity to Set Up/Teach: Low

Complexity to Use: Medium

Cost: 0

Pros:

• Automates your input method
• See Pros from first spreadsheet entry

Cons:

• Still a spreadsheet
• Updates/iterations to the Form mean changes to the spreadsheet
• See Cons from first spreadsheet entry

Tools: Google Sheet/Form

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ATS To-Do List

Complexity to Set Up/Teach: Medium

Complexity to Use: Medium

Cost: Price of the ATS

Pros:

• Built into your pre-existing solution
• Reportable Data

Cons:

• Complex permissioning since you might not want the RCs to have access to everything
• Ability to track specific RC action proves cumbersome -? The RC listed on the Req might not be the one actioning on those candidates
• High attention to detail since candidates might be listed as needing to schedule but the recruiter is holding off for a specific reason
• No place to store hiring manager or interviewer preferences

Tools: Google Sheet/Form, SmartSheet

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@ Mentions

Complexity to Set Up/Teach: Medium

Complexity to Use: Low

Cost: None

Pros:

• One alias for all requests that notifies all coordinators

Cons:

• Emails galore and, if you stack your emails, then requests get lost
• Not trackable
• Ambiguous rules of order
• Likely need to work with an IT to set up the alias

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Project Management Tools

Complexity to Set Up/Teach: High

Complexity to Use: Medium

Cost: $$ (unless your PM team has extra seats they can lend you)

Pros:

• Reportable
• Templates/fields for consistency
• Interview Flow is Similar to PM Project Flow
• Keeps more people in a tool you might be using to manage projects

Cons:

• Cost $$$ - In order to get the features you want for automation, you might need to pay for them.? One potential way to circumvent the cost is to check with your teams and repurpose anything they might let you.
• Training and Documentation
• IT/Security Team Review

Tools: Asana, Monday, JIRA, Wrike, AirTable, Smartsheet

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Automated Scheduling Tools

Complexity to Set Up/Teach: High

Complexity to Use: Medium

Cost: $$$$

Pros:

• Scheduling automation
• Templates for repetitive schedules
• In-depth metrics on scheduling volume, Turnaround Time (TAT), interviewer load and declines
• Integrations (Gmail, Gcal, Slack, Docusign)
• Storage of hiring manager and interviewer preferences

Cons:

• Cost - Because these are specialized tools for just Recruiting, there isn’t a lot of carry over into other departments.? In times when you are looking to cut costs, this likely one place you could look at.
• Must work within tool workflow (which may require change management)
• Archival data stays within an outside system
• IT/Security Team Review

Tools: Prelude , GoodTime , ModernLoop , InterviewPlanner (acquired by Gem) , Cronofy

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Conclusion

The SQM finds its success in times when hiring is slow or there are fewer requisitions to go around since it is predicated on sharing the load and the responsibilities.? Additionally, it can provide growth opportunities even when those appear to be few and far between.? Regardless, some elements should be taken from the SQM and applied every day to a Recruiting Coordination group such as a shared queue, a focus on documentation and sharing nuances, and consistent cross-training